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Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Massachusetts Man Charged with Conspiring to Obstruct National Security Investigation

This afternoon a federal conspiracy charge was filed against
David Wright, aka Dawud Sharif Wright, aka Dawud Sharif Abdul Khaliq, 24, of
Everett, Massachusetts, who has been associated with a plot to kill an unnamed
target in another state.Wright was
arrested last night by federal authorities and had an initial appearance today
in U.S. District Court in Boston.His
detention hearing is scheduled for June 19, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.

Wright is charged in a one count complaint which alleges
that he conspired with now-deceased Ussamah Abdullah Rahim, 26, to obstruct a
federal investigation by destroying electronic evidence on Rahim’s
smartphone.Rahim was shot and killed
yesterday morning after he attacked Boston Police Officers and FBI agents
seeking to question him.

As alleged in the complaint affidavit, Rahim, a private
security officer, was planning to engage in a violent attack in the United
States, and had purchased three military-style fighting knives and a sharpener
in furtherance of this plan.In
intercepted calls between Wright and Rahim, the men discussed a knife attack on
an unnamed individual, and suggested that the target was to be beheaded and
have his/her head placed on his/her chest.According to the complaint, such beheadings are a tactic of some foreign
terrorist organizations which use such killings in propaganda videos.

The affidavit also alleges that Wright and Rahim met with a
third person on a beach in Rhode Island on May 31, 2015, to discuss the planned
beheading.

At approximately 5:00 a.m. on June 2, 2015, law enforcement
intercepted a call between Wright and Rahim, in which Rahim insisted that he
could no longer wait to take action.Instead of carrying on with his plan to behead the planned out-of-state
target, Rahim declared that he was going to, “go after” the “boys in blue,”
here in Massachusetts, because, “it’s the easiest target.”Rather than discourage Rahim, Wright
supported the plan, telling Rahim to prepare his will and to leave his
possessions to a named individual.After
discussing Rahim’s plan to attack police officers in Massachusetts, Wright advised
Rahim to destroy his phone and all of the evidence it contained to prevent
“CSI” at “the scene” from obtaining incriminating information.

According to the complaint affidavit, on June 2, 2015, law
enforcement officers met with Wright after Rahim attacked officers in Boston
and was shot.Wright told officers of a
recent rendezvous with Rahim on a beach in Rhode Island, and of Rahim’s
intention to behead a specified individual in another state.Wright indicated he agreed with Rahim’s plan
and supported it.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than
five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of
$250,000.Actual sentences for federal
crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.Sentences are imposed by a federal district
court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory
factors.

This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Boston
Field Division, Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and
member agencies of the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations,
U.S. Marshals Service and others.In
addition, the Everett Police Department played a critical role in the response.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office
of the District of Massachusetts in coordination with the Justice Department’s
National Security Division.